Poverty Reduction Workgroup. In 2017, the Poverty Reduction Work Group (PRWG) was created by a directive of Governor Inslee dated November 6, 2017. The PRWG is co-led by the state Departments of Commerce, Employment Security, and Social & Health Services, in partnership with tribal and urban Indians, state racial and ethnic commissions, employers, community-based organizations, legislators, advocates, and philanthropy. A steering committee made up of 22 people reflecting the diverse demographic and geographic experience of poverty set priorities and direction for the development of strategies and recommendations. The PWRG was tasked with developing a strategic plan to reduce poverty, improve communities and make needed progress related to housing, health integration, employment, and education.
On January 14, 2020, the PRWG published The 10-Year Plan to Dismantle Poverty in Washington (plan) with the goal of building a just and equitable future in which all of Washingtonians have their foundational needs met, and the resources and the opportunities they need to thrive. Noting that in 2019 1.75 million Washingtonians lived in a household that struggled to make ends meet, the plan describes eight strategies to mitigate the experience of poverty as well as preventing it from happening altogether.
The eight strategies include:
Legislative-Executive WorkFirst Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force. The Legislative-Executive WorkFirst Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force (LEWPRO) was created in 2018, expanded from the work of a previous workgroup created in 2011. Among its work, LEWPRO is to seek best practices for poverty reduction from service providers, community-based organizations, legislators, state agencies, stakeholders, the business community, and subject matter experts. In March 2020, LEWPRO published its Five-Year Plan to Reduce Intergenerational Poverty and Promote Self-Sufficiency which includes strategies to support the reduction on intergenerational poverty and increased self-sufficiency among the people it serves and other citizens of Washington State.
The eight strategies include:
The 10-Year Plan and 5-Year Plan differ in that the 5-Year Plan focuses specifically on intergenerational poverty reduction, with particular attention to programs that serve children and families, with a focus on broad policy direction.
Poverty Guidelines. Annually, the federal Department of Health and Human Services produces poverty guidelines, known as the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), that are used administratively to determine a person's eligibility for certain programs. The FPL account for basic needs—food, utilities and accommodation—and does not vary by the age of the children or a household's location.
The Self-Sufficiency Standard (SSS) defines the amount of income necessary to meet basic needs, including taxes, without public subsidies. Basic needs include housing, child care, food, health care, transportation, taxes, and miscellaneous costs. The SSS accounts for the regional costs of each basic need and is adjusted by the age of the children in the household.
The Legislature declares that economic inclusion shall be a top priority of Washington State's economic recovery and finds that leveraging or supporting the integration of existing benefits and services whenever possible will help people access the benefits they need to help them out of poverty, without creating another duplicative system.
Economic Inclusion Grants. The Department of Commerce (Commerce), in consultation with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), the Employment Security Department (ESD), the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) , the Health Care Authority (HCA), and the steering committee, will make and oversee the implementation of economic inclusion grants available to local communities to promote equity, economic inclusion, and a stable financial foundation for people experiencing poverty.
Subject to appropriations, these grants are available in communities throughout all regions of the state, with an emphasis on economically distressed communities as defined by Commerce. Recipients of a grant are to:
If an applicant has not submitted adequate documentation to participate within three months after grant announcement, the agencies may redistribute the unclaimed funding to other participating local areas.
Other Provisions. Commerce, in consultation with DSHS, ESD, and the steering committee, is to develop a comprehensive list of federal waivers to remove federal barriers to coordinating service delivery across multiple programs and include this list in it's annual report. Where waivers are not available, Commerce is to develop a comprehensive list of federal rules and or policies that are creating barriers and include this list in it's annual report.
DSHS, in consultation with the Commerce, ESD, DCYF, HCA, and the steering committee, and other stakeholders, is to further develop measures and indicators of equitable and inclusive economic recovery already underway in the DSHS technical advisory group on inclusive economic recovery, and apply those measures as needed to help promote economic recovery that is racially equitable and fully inclusive of people experiencing poverty, people of color, people in rural counties, people with disabilities, and other key demographics that have historically been left behind in economic recovery.
By November 15, 2021, and annually thereafter, Commerce, in consultation with the DSHS, ESD and the steering committee are to report to the Governor, the appropriate committees of the Legislature, and LEWPRO. The annual report must include progress reports, measures of equitable and inclusive economic recovery, and model legislative language to further expand economic inclusion, reduce poverty, and increase coordinated service delivery across programs and agencies.
People experiencing poverty means households whose incomes are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Self-sufficiency means a level of household income that is equal to or more than the self-sufficiency standard for a household as determined by the University of Washington's self-sufficiency calculator.
Steering committee means the PRWG steering committee, which is comprised of individuals with poverty-related lived experience. Members of the steering committee are to be reimbursed for travel expenses, as well as child care and other expenses as needed for each day a steering committee member attends meetings to provide consultative assistance to the agencies managing the grants; for up to 12 meetings per calendar year.
The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: This bill comes out of both the Governor's Poverty Reduction Workgroup (PRWG) and the Legislative-Executive WorkFirst Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force (LEWPRO) changing the manner in which we help people move out of poverty and into self-sufficiency. The voice of those with lived experience is included. This bill aligns the goals of addressing the root causes of poverty and the urgent need to stabilize families now. Navigating through the benefits system is a challenge—the goal of the grants is make the system more efficient, not to add benefits, but how to leverage and utilize the benefits that already exist. Community Action Centers should be able to get grants.
OTHER: Sections 1 to 4 of the bill are aligned with the work of the PRWG, LEWPRO, and the Governor's budget. Efforts to develop a human centered approach is long overdue, embracing the voice of those with lived experience and capitalizing on cross-agency collaboration. Many low-income households lack broadband to participate in applying for benefits. There is funding from the Governor to add a position to work with stakeholders to build digital equity. This bill is timely in light of COVID, especially with its impacts on people of color and rural communities.
The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: The work of this bill is aligned with the recommendations from the Poverty Action Network and the Reduction Workgroup. The work supported by this bill is critically important to help people of color, people in rural communities, and people experiencing poverty to recover economically from COVID-19. If we re-frame the cost of the bill based on the Governor's budget, which has a similar grant with a two-year cost of $583,000 for three local grants and overhead. Thrilled to see legislation that is a part of the Poverty Reduction Workgroup's ten-year plan. Many support programs cannot be qualified for simultaneously which causes much frustration and navigating systems of support can be complicated and frustrating. This bill is helping people access help they need on the front end and prevents much more costly hardships such as homelessness down the line.